New principals announced for Fort Belvoir Elementary schools

May 25, 2018 Schools
Fort Belvoir Elementary building

Fort Belvoir Primary School, which hosts grades K-3.

New principals have been hired for the two county-run elementary schools on Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County Public Schools announced Friday.

Margo Dias-Pareja has been selected as the next principal of Fort Belvoir Primary School, which teaches children from kindergarten through third grade. Jamey Chianetta has been tapped to lead Fort Belvoir Upper Elementary School, which teaches children in grades 4-6.

Both principals take over effective July 31.

FCPS’s announcement of the hirings noted that each of the new principals grew up in a military family. Dias-Pareja’s father served in the Air Force; Chianetta herself is an Army veteran, and she grew up the daughter of a career soldier. Her son is also an Army veteran, according to FCPS.

Both principals bring years of education experience to the job. Dias-Pareja has more than 20 years of experience as an educator and currently is the principal of Centre Ridge Elementary School in Centreville. Prior to taking that position in 2009, she served as an assistant principal at Centre Ridge and at Parklawn Elementary School in the Lincolnia area. She also has experience as an ESOL instructor.

Chianetta also has more than 20 years of experience, and currently serves as the principal of Halley Elementary School in Fairfax Station. Prior to taking that job in 2010, she served as assistant principal there, and she has also been a LEAD Fairfax administrative intern and a teacher at Holmes Middle School in the Lincolnia area.

Looking for a fresh start

Each Fort Belvoir school currently has interim principals, and both are looking for stability after unexpected turnover in the past year. The primary school suffered through a particularly tumultuous year. Kate Graham, hired as principal just before the school year last August, left the school in March. An FCPS spokesman declined to comment on whether Graham resigned or was fired, but the departure came shortly after a barrage of criticism from some parents — including at two town hall meetings — over the handling of discipline issues at the school.

The unrest peaked March 14 after a third-grader brought a pocket knife to school and allegedly threatened to use it. Parents complained about a lack of communication from the school after the incident, which drew a law enforcement response from both the Fort Belvoir Police Department and Fairfax County Police.

The fallout from the knife incident was also enough to prompt the Fort Belvoir garrison commander to respond that evening in a public statement on Facebook. The following day a message was sent to parents informing them that Graham would not be returning to the school.

Jamie Meier, a retired administrator in FCPS and the former principal of Waynewood Elementary, took over for the remainder of the year.

Carol Padgett, another longtime FCPS teacher and administrator, has served as the interim principal at Belvoir’s upper school for the entire 2017-2018 school year. Padgett took over after the previous principal left unexpectedly due to her husband’s job getting transferred to a new location, according to Mount Vernon district school board representative Karen Corbett Sanders.

Padgett proved to be a popular fill-in, with some parents going so far as to start a change.org petition to ask FCPS to keep her on as principal permanently.